We came home from the western side of the state to a garden nearly in full bloom. It can't be in full full bloom because we've carefully planted so as to have blooms throughout the growing months of the year, but the summer blooms are now out in full force. Bee balm, yarrow, cone flowers, daisies, in pink, red, yellow, white...even the milkweed finally bloomed this year. I still remember, the first summer we spent in the house, sending Jon and my dad into the field behind us to dig up a milkweed or two before the mowers came and plowed them down. Digging up wild flowers is against the law in Michigan, but they were about the mow them over, so I think nobody probably noticed. Digging up milkweed is not as easy as one would think. This one had a rather developed root system, a huge cluster of tubers, that required hacking much more than digging. I nursed the three pieces in buckets of water to encourage them to send out new roots, and I carefully planted the two that survived. I was ecstatic when they grew the following year, and again the year after, but this is the year they've finally decided to bloom. Look how happy I am over a weed.
milkweed
Pink yarrow
red yarrrow
true phlox, and a coneflower in the background
We were gone for just two nights, but getting back to our routine is going to take at least that long, or maybe we just don't have a summer "routine" to return to. The library was closed on Monday so we sorted today instead. Piano, journaling, games, and the garden all called to us. And some quiet time laying on the floor with books during the hottest part of the day, watching birds visit the feeders and letting what breeze there was wash over us. We're hoping for rain tomorrow, or else we might be playing in the sprinkler yet again, but that's what summer is all about.
